Fat chance of McDonald's nutrition labels swaying food cops
October 30, 2005
London - The world's largest fast-food chain stole a march on rivals this week by saying it would tell its customers exactly what they were eating.
In an attempt to get the food police off its back, McDonald's is to label its products with lists of the kilojoule, fat, carbohydrate, protein and sodium content in each item.
A Big Mac, for instance, contains 30g of fat, almost half the daily allowance for someone consuming 8 400kJ a day.
The unexpected move, which brings food labelling into a new arena, prompted speculation about the content of other iconic takeaways. Rival fast-food chains are expected to follow McDonald's lead.
The nutrition labels will appear on the packages of hamburgers, chicken wraps, boxes of fries and the rest, although not on drinks.
Critics said the move created the "perception of choice", although the choice was more imaginary than real because there was little point in telling consumers what they were about to eat after they had bought it.
The global roll-out of the labelling scheme is to begin in McDonald's restaurants at the Winter Olympics in Italy in February and will be extended to 20 000 of the chain's 31 000 outlets worldwide by the end of 2006.
If the company expected an enthusiastic reception for its initiative, it would have been disappointed. The announcement was greeted with scepticism by commentators battling against the global growth in girth.
Neal Barnard, the president of the US Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, said: "Saying what's in a product is good, but having the contents be healthful is what's essential. McDonald's is still a place where you should be ashamed to bring your kids."
In the film Supersize Me, by Morgan Spurlock, which exposed the damaging effects of living on a diet of McDonald's burgers for 30 days, the film makers contacted 100 nutritionists to ask them for their advice on fast food. Almost half of them said: "Never eat it" and most of the rest said it should form a strictly limited part of the diet.
A British Nutrition Foundation nutrition scientist, Joanne Lunn, added: "It is not recommended that you eat high-fat meals such as these regularly. You should remember the adage: 'There is no such thing as a bad food, only a bad diet'."
Rival companies, including Wendy's and Burger King, were keeping their own counsel about the McDonald's move but a spokesperson for Hardee's, a Californian fast-food chain that markets one of the biggest burgers in the world, said it had no plans to change its packaging.
Hardee's Monster Thickburger packs 5 900kJ and 107g of fat, which is more than 50 percent more than the recommended daily allowance.
The impact that nutritional labelling has on consumption is unclear. McDonald's key selling point has been cost. It is not what is on the label or even in the burger that counts, it is what is in the pocket.
For most people, deciding where to eat is based on economics: McDonald's sells cheap food. - The Independent
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